Death of a Child

The death of a child is not suppose to happen, but of course it does. The impact is no less as tragic in a poor, disease riddled place as here in the US. During my period away, two children died from causes explained to me as "African Sun". Both died painfully with bloated stomachs and limbs which may have been some problem with their lymphatic systems. The man, Samuel was Oretha's oldest son, leaves behind a four year old daughter who now is another member of her family. The young girl in pink was a niece.

In what you might loosely call a cemetery, the dead are usually just buried in the ground with a mound of dirt over their bodies, to poor to have a marker, and whose space is later used by another as the body decomposes.

Liberia has a national holiday, Decoration Day, in March when people decorate the grave sites of ancestors and relatives.

Oretha with her best friend, Lorpu, at her son, Samuel, grave marker.

Niece in pink dress died shortly after this photo.